Related
Hi All,
Does anyone know if I can use my rooted SGS2 over in Europe? Specifically I'm using a rooted T989 running TDJ's Darkside Evolution 3 v7 with the venom kernel and the Touch0Color theme. I'm going to the Netherlands, where I think I can just get a local Tmobile (NL) sim and be fine, and the Romania, where I believe the phone will work on the Orange network.
Since the phone is rooted, it should also be unlocked, so there shouldn't be a hitch in just switching the sim and being up and running, correct?
Any thoughts, and especially first hand experience, would be appreciated.
I just want to make sure I'm not missing something completely obvious that makes simply buying the cheap $15 throw away the better option.
Thanks,
That's correct. Just call tmo for the unlock code...tell them the truth-you're going overseas. When you get there get a local SIM and pop it in.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
your phone should work in with any gsm carrier to make phone calls but your phone has to be unlocked. I dont know how the data will work since most gms carriers frequency bands are different from Tmobile's.
Ok, so I went to T-Mobile as instructed, and they said they would get back to me in 14 days (I know, right?). So they just sent me the below.
What should I do? I'm still wondering if the phone is just blanket unlocked as a result of the root and the new rom, but I'd prefer not to go buy a prepaid AT&T sim to find out. Can anyone out there advise?
Here's what T-Mobile sent me.
BEGIN
T-Mobile Phone #: 5********9
T-Mobile Sim Unlock Request
Sim Unlock Reference: 5*****6
IMEI: 3*************0
Thank you for taking the time to contact T-Mobile. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide the unlock code at this time. After review of the account we have determined that the device is not in use with the corresponding mobile number. T-Mobile policies and procedures state that the device must be in use on the mobile number requesting the unlock code. If this is a new device please allow 3-4 business days prior to submitting a new request to allow your usage to update in our system.
Thank you,
SIM Unlock Department
Thank You,
Sim Unlock Department
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
END
I checked the numbers twice, and they are correct. But, obviously, I'm using the number with the phone on t-mobile without a hitch ...
So I called T-mobile, and asked what's what. They said that they couldn't even see what my phone was on the system, and then suggested that I call Samsung. Samsung said that they couldn't verify ownership of the phone and said to call tmobile. So I'm wondering what's going on here. The tmobile rep did say that she doesn't think that I'd be able to use an AT&T sim even though I rooted my phone. How would they know though, isn't the normal android stuff unlocked?
Any thoughts?
"rooted" and "unlocked" are not same terms.
I have rooted my phone and requested Unlock code from t-mobile before my trip to russia. Their policies state that you have to be t-mobile's customer for at least 40 days.(though because of circumstances they gave it to me on 39th day)
In russia I bought local sim card, slip it in my S2, followed an instructions provided by t-mobile and had no problems to place/receive calls and use an Internet. Though speed was 3G.
First, Rooted it doesn't mean Unlocked! They are 2 different operations.
You can be Rooted but NOT Unlocked, you can be Unlocked but NOT Rooted
and you can be Rooted AND Unlocked.
That being said, I beleive you have to be on Stock ROM when you
request the unlock code. With a custom ROM they don't recognize
your phone.....
If you don't want to flash back to stock until you get the code, then I would
go to a local cell phone store (not a company, just a local that sells
phones for all major carriers) and ask them to unlock it for you.
It should take about 5 min. and should cost about $20.
You can also go in Romania and unlock it there for about $5.
I know nothing about Netherlands, but it should be the same.....
Good luck and have a nice vacation.
I've had my S3 about 5 months, I bought it retail from ebay from a seller that didn't unlock it, it is still tied to AT&T. I use Straight Talk as my service as at&t or T-moblie will work with out unlocking them. I want to unlock my phone now and have a question.
Beings that the micro sim in my phone is straight talk and is working, how do I unlock my phone? from what I've read about unlocking, you need to have a NON-WORKING sim to be able to unlock it. Or is there a way to unlock it with out a sim in it?
thanks for your time.
You actually need a Sim that is not att, to unlock. You will need the unlock code from att or you can buy them on the internet. I was able to get my unlock code for my S2 from att. You have to have the phone on their service for at least 6 months, you call them say you are going out of the county for a few weeks, and bam!, they give you the unlock code.
Once you have the code, you need to put in an activated sim from another provider other than att, when you turn the phone on you'll be asked to enter unlock code. Enter the code, hit enter, bam unlocked.
This won't work with a sim that is not active.
So if you have a straight talk sim in, and have for six months, and its working, and its a i747, then I think you have a unlocked phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
just to clarify, you do NOT have to have AT&T for any given amount of time before you receive an unlock code.
i was an AT&T customer for all of 10 days and got my unlock code for my Galaxy S3. it is VERY dependent on the agent you speak to for asking for an unlock code.
anyways, since you are using Straight Talk, you should have an unlocked phone. best way to test is try to put a different SIM card in it and see what happens.
I was told my device was "ineligible" to be unlocked. AT&T sucks.
If you don't want to waste time talking to a rep that may or may not help you, use this method, it's easy and free: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2014982 (it's for the Note II but it works on the AT&T S3). You don't need a non-working sim for this method to work, but you won't know if it worked until you put in a non-working sim.
Also, you'll likely only get Edge network on T-Mobile unless you happen to be one of the lucky few in an areas where you can get 3G or H+.
But as posted in other threads, if you're going to call AT&T, call their International Support line: 1-800-335-4685 (found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1962453&page=16 )
skrambled said:
I was told my device was "ineligible" to be unlocked. AT&T sucks.
If you don't want to waste time talking to a rep that may or may not help you, use this method, it's easy and free: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2014982 (it's for the Note II but it works on the AT&T S3). You don't need a non-working sim for this method to work, but you won't know if it worked until you put in a non-working sim.
Also, you'll likely only get Edge network on T-Mobile unless you happen to be one of the lucky few in an areas where you can get 3G or H+.
But as posted in other threads, if you're going to call AT&T, call their International Support line: 1-800-335-4685 (found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1962453&page=16 )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the great info, I'll give these a try.
Hi
I have a carrier unlocked T-Mobile s8+ and need to use a Verizon SIM in it and am getting errors trying to use a verizon SIM. The Verizon SIM is from another phone and is already registered. I put the IMEI number of the phone into Verizons web portal to test compatibility and it failed. Does that mean there is no way to get this combination to work? Does the IMEI need to be in the VZW database for this to work? Will flashing XAA guarantee this to work? Thanks for any help and advice.
sideswipe said:
Hi
I have a carrier unlocked T-Mobile s8+ and need to use a Verizon SIM in it and am getting errors trying to use a verizon SIM. The Verizon SIM is from another phone and is already registered. I put the IMEI number of the phone into Verizons web portal to test compatibility and it failed. Does that mean there is no way to get this combination to work? Does the IMEI need to be in the VZW database for this to work? Will flashing XAA guarantee this to work? Thanks for any help and advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do u have a tmobile phone, it is different than the carrier unlocked phone, those are 2 different models,
the carrier unlocked.. the sim is unlocked..
the tmobile is not carrier unlocked, and by flashing the firmware of the unlocked version, will NOT unlock the sim.. u will need to device unlock app with the tmobile phone 1st... and usually tmobile will NOT unlock unless u have paid it off and using on their system for 40 days..
others like me had it unlocked with days of service, cause we are tmobile customers for years already... I on the other hand bought the phone on ebay from someone who bought it from Samsung and the imei was not added to tmobile system and I had to call tmobile to add the imei which took about 3 days, then to call back to request the sim unlock which took another 3 days, the device unlock app unlocked the phone instantly...
that was my process for me to get the sim unlock... but if urs it not unlocked and is paid off, another way to get it unlocked it to give it to someone u know, let them use it and call tmobile to start the above process...
Hope that sums up what must be done...
mdiaz33685 said:
do u have a tmobile phone, it is different than the carrier unlocked phone, those are 2 different models,
the carrier unlocked.. the sim is unlocked..
the tmobile is not carrier unlocked, and by flashing the firmware of the unlocked version, will NOT unlock the sim.. u will need to device unlock app with the tmobile phone 1st... and usually tmobile will NOT unlock unless u have paid it off and using on their system for 40 days..
others like me had it unlocked with days of service, cause we are tmobile customers for years already... I on the other hand bought the phone on ebay from someone who bought it from Samsung and the imei was not added to tmobile system and I had to call tmobile to add the imei which took about 3 days, then to call back to request the sim unlock which took another 3 days, the device unlock app unlocked the phone instantly...
that was my process for me to get the sim unlock... but if urs it not unlocked and is paid off, another way to get it unlocked it to give it to someone u know, let them use it and call tmobile to start the above process...
Hope that sums up what must be done...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks for the explanation, I am pretty familiar with the differences between carrier (SIM) unlock and unlocked firmware as I have flashed Android in the past. I had the phone carrier (SIM) unlocked by T-Mobile through their app and I was still not able to use the Verizon SIM in my phone (not registered error). It turns out (and I found this out by reading through the many messages in this forum) that T-Mobile firmware apparently disables some frequencies that other carriers may use. Once I flashed the XAA unlocked *firmware*, I popped in my Verizon SIM and it worked like a charm. I hope this info is useful to someone at some time and I thank all of you for your contributions to getting this working. KUDOS!
sideswipe said:
Hi thanks for the explanation, I am pretty familiar with the differences between carrier (SIM) unlock and unlocked firmware as I have flashed Android in the past. I had the phone carrier (SIM) unlocked by T-Mobile through their app and I was still not able to use the Verizon SIM in my phone (not registered error). It turns out (and I found this out by reading through the many messages in this forum) that T-Mobile firmware apparently disables some frequencies that other carriers may use. Once I flashed the XAA unlocked *firmware*, I popped in my Verizon SIM and it worked like a charm. I hope this info is useful to someone at some time and I thank all of you for your contributions to getting this working. KUDOS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know, but sound weird, thought T-Mobile phones work for all gsm Sims just needing to change apn,
But now cdma merging with gsm, that's so much better as far as phones go, use any phone now from any provider.
Look how the s8 plus is all the same software and the same hardware, just different carrier stuff..
mdiaz33685 said:
Good to know, but sound weird, thought T-Mobile phones work for all gsm Sims just needing to change apn,
But now cdma merging with gsm, that's so much better as far as phones go, use any phone now from any provider.
Look how the s8 plus is all the same software and the same hardware, just different carrier stuff..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought it was weird too. Busted my head for a couple of days trying to figure it out. Is Verizon still CDMA? *scratches head*
Yes, their 3g and 2g networks are CDMA.
If you insert Verizon sim into T-mobile phone, you'll get LTE data, but you won't be able to make calls. Only data will work. T-mobile firmware support band 2, 4 and 13, so you should have data, but not phone service. If you don't have data icon, you'll need add Verizon apn.
FYI
Flashing the phone with G955U1 firmware fixed this issue. I am now able to use this successfully on Verizon.
Hi Everyone,
I've seen some posts about unlocking this but I'm curious as to whether I can unlock a T-Mobile branded phone purchased outright that has never been activated.
What have you all found to be the easiest way to unlock it? I've already reached out to TM via FB to no avail.
Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks!
Bootloader unlock is done via Motorola. To unlock your device for all carriers you must actively use the phone for 7 days. If you can't unlock it yourself after 7 days using the builtin app, then go in to a store. They can call in and help get it unlocked, but only after you've used the phone for 7 days.
papadelogan said:
Bootloader unlock is done via Motorola. To unlock your device for all carriers you must actively use the phone for 7 days. If you can't unlock it yourself after 7 days using the builtin app, then go in to a store. They can call in and help get it unlocked, but only after you've used the phone for 7 days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, that is my question.
The phone is brand new - no sim. I'm trying to get it to a prepaid wireless service and need it unlocked to do so. What you're saying is that I would need to activate it for 7 days for the bootloader to work, correct?
Tmobile themselves offer unlocking but only after 40 days of service which is a no go in my current situation.
Thanks again for any help. No other programs or apps out there that can unlock it more quickly without the amount of work?
You guys are awesome!
ponzpo said:
Ok, that is my question.
The phone is brand new - no sim. I'm trying to get it to a prepaid wireless service and need it unlocked to do so. What you're saying is that I would need to activate it for 7 days for the bootloader to work, correct?
Tmobile themselves offer unlocking but only after 40 days of service which is a no go in my current situation.
Thanks again for any help. No other programs or apps out there that can unlock it more quickly without the amount of work?
You guys are awesome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. You are matching the two things together. Let me be a little bit simpler about this. All use different paragraph so you don't get confused.
BOOTLOADER unlock can be done about 1 minute after you buy the phone. You contact Motorola directly. Search this forum and you'll get tons of information on it
CARRIER Unlocking a T-Mobile phone to be able to use with any carrier can be done after 7 Days of use on a T-Mobile plan. If they recently bumped it up to 40 and that's what customer service told you, then go with that. I've been with them for a few years now and only needed 7 days, but then I was in the store working with one of the sales people and they called in about it. I may have gotten special consideration given the amount of time my wife has had an account with T-Mobile, but I did a carrier unlock after only 7 days.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
I picked up a New tmo z2 force and started it with prepaid. The prepaid balance has to be at least 100$ and active for 14 days before they will unlock it.
noXcape said:
I picked up a New tmo z2 force and started it with prepaid. The prepaid balance has to be at least 100$ and active for 14 days before they will unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that T-Mobile specific prepaid?
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Yes. Tmo prepaid
Also that's what the tmo rep told me. I still have like 10 days to wait...so I'll report back when it's done
Decided to call and try my luck with another rep. They escalated the unlock for me and did it with the hour.
Unlock app says permanently unlocked now!
You don't need to have it 7 days or whatever. Buy the phone full price, insert the tmobile sim, boot up and carrier unlock right away with the unlock app. Bootloader unlock is with motorola. That's it.
First, you need to activate your phone with a T-Mobile SIM card (you don't need to possess the SIM card, you can even borrow one for a few minutes) and a non-T-Mobile SIM to check if the phone is network locked.
You can check by following these steps:
1. Insert the “non-accepted SIM card” on the phone (Please check if your new SIM Card is activated, if not contact your Mobile Operator in order to activate it).
2. Wait for the phone to load
3. Insert the SIM’s PIN code (4 digits), if asked.
4. Read the message your phone displays, if you need the unlock code or to unlock via the Device Unlock App.
Mod Edit
Based on the message you have, you can contact T-Mobile again and ask them to unlock. Or you can use a third party unlocking service.
RossTeagan said:
First, you need to activate your phone with a T-Mobile SIM card (you don't need to possess the SIM card, you can even borrow one for a few minutes) and a non-T-Mobile SIM to check if the phone is network locked.
You can check by following these steps:
1. Insert the “non-accepted SIM card” on the phone (Please check if your new SIM Card is activated, if not contact your Mobile Operator in order to activate it).
2. Wait for the phone to load
3. Insert the SIM’s PIN code (4 digits), if asked.
4. Read the message your phone displays, if you need the unlock code or to unlock via the Device Unlock App.
Mod Edit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This doesnt work.. It says unlock failed.. tried permanent and temporary. Tmobile says theres an unpaid balance but the phones imei is not lost or stolen. The way to request an unlock is the previous owner and the imei # has to make a request. ugh and theres some dude who says he can do it for a fee (clean the imei) im trying to use this on metro and cannot because of the whole tmobile unpaid balance bullcrap
Correct me if I'm wrong. No T-Mobile phone is eligible for unlock unless it's paid off in full and remained on the network for 45 days after. I've unlocked plenty of them after they were paid off and this was almost always the case.
I unlocked my bootloader right after getting my phone. It's not paid off, as I upgraded via JUMP.
sabrdawg said:
I unlocked my bootloader right after getting my phone. It's not paid off, as I upgraded via JUMP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thinking the OP is talking about carrier unlock.
Check what your IMEI's status is in the T-Mobile network with their service here: https://www.t-mobile.com/verifyIMEI.aspx
Note that if the result doesn't with "Congratulations..." you might not be able to unlock your phone.
20degrees said:
Thinking the OP is talking about carrier unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, got it. It's tricky when "unlock" has multiple meanings, lol! In that case, no, you can't carrier unlock until your phone is paid off
I posted a similar question before I realised there was a thread already on this topic. Can anybody confirm that if you buy a tmo version from Motorola, then what are the conditions for having it unlocked? Is it $100 credit balance (for me that would add $100 to the cost) or immediately on insertion of a TMO SIM or some other conditions? Does anybody have any experiences they can report? Thanks
I can tell you I just tried getting a tmobile variant unlocked (375 outright, I have AT&T) and had a buddy with a tmobile account make the purchase and put his active sim in it and they would not unlock it. Stated it had to be on tmobile network for 40 days. He called multiple times and argued it's already paid off but they wouldn't budge. So I returned it. Had to eat a 50 fee for returning it. I chalk it to a lesson learned.
I was going to buy the phone from the Motorola website for $500 so $375 is a good deal. The problem is while I have a tmobile SIM card on a prepaid account I don't live in the US and while I'm travelling there soon I won't be on the network for 40 days. so I guess it won't be unlockable while I'm there and certainly not once I'm gone.
I wonder what the unlocking Services online are like? Has anybody had any experiences to relate
lchiu7 said:
I was going to buy the phone from the Motorola website for $500 so $375 is a good deal. The problem is while I have a tmobile SIM card on a prepaid account I don't live in the US and while I'm travelling there soon I won't be on the network for 40 days. so I guess it won't be unlockable while I'm there and certainly not once I'm gone.
I wonder what the unlocking Services online are like? Has anybody had any experiences to relate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is also a temp unlock through the unlock app. Still fully sim unlocked but for only a short time. Then if you do come back to the US for 40+ days you can try for the permanent unlock.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using XDA Labs
OK _ just got off both a phone call and chat session with TMO support. Basically the phone has to be on their network for 2 billing cycles and then you can call them to unlock it. That applies even apparently to the $3/month plan. I do have somebody who could do that but they would have to send the phone to me and I am not sure you can do that with its LiOn battery inside.
Hello there,
I was on AT&T....phone paid off and they gave me the UNLOCK code to use my phone with any carrier I want. Currently I am using Walmart's Straight Talk and I use t-mobile TOWERS in this area for cell phone connection. I think it is T-mobile.
I bought the T-mobile cell card from Straight Talk. Works perfect.
So - is the Unlock code the same thing as the BOOTLOADER being unlocked?
Can I now root my phone with Magisk or some other way?
Please tell me?
Sincerely,
LoriAnn